Hypertension (high blood pressure) decisions — 2013

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to the need for additional examinations and evaluations of his service-connected conditions, as well as clarification on periods of active duty.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Board finds that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and there is no evidence of herbicide exposure during his service in Vietnam.

The Veteran's hypertension was incurred in or caused by his active duty service and the claim for service connection is granted. The Board also found that there is not sufficient evidence to establish a respiratory disorder during service, but the Veteran has current symptoms of a respiratory disorder which may be related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current hypertension was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and is not otherwise related to a service-connected disability. The claim for service connection for hypertension is therefore denied.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of hypertension during service or within one year thereafter, and the Veteran's scar above his left eye was incurred in active service. The claim for hypertension is denied as there is no current diagnosis of hypertension. The claim for a scar above the left eye is granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including posttraumatic stress disorder and residuals of cold injury to his lower extremities, did not cause or contribute substantially to his death from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

The Board found no evidence of herbicide exposure and denied service connection for the claimed conditions as secondary to diabetes mellitus.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension and heart disorder were not incurred during service or related to any incident of service. As a result, service connection for these conditions was denied.

The Veteran's claimed conditions, including tremors of the feet, hands, migraine headaches, diabetes mellitus, adrenal gland disability, renal disability, hypertension, heart disease, lung cancer, and pes planus, were not incurred in service or due to exposure to herbicides. The claims are denied.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for PTSD, service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, gall bladder disorder, liver disorder, and residuals of a miscarriage are being remanded due to the need for additional development. The effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD is set at July 11, 2005.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for hypertension, finding that it was not incurred or aggravated by his active duty or National Guard service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for diabetes mellitus, and there was no evidence of secondary hypertension or arthritis/neck/back conditions to his service-connected diabetes.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions have been denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between the claimed conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and diabetic nephropathy are all found to be secondary to his service-connected diabetes. The rating for the diabetic nephropathy is increased from 20% to 60%. Increased ratings of 10% each were granted for left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathies.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have PTSD and his other diagnosed psychiatric disabilities are not shown to be etiologically related to service. The claims for right knee disability, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, hypertension, and bilateral leg cramps were withdrawn by the Veteran during a hearing before the Board. Service connection is denied for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, depression, and a mood disorder), right lower extremity disability, left lower extremity disability, low back disability, right knee disability, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, hypertension, and bilateral leg cramps.

The Board has granted service connection for paranoid schizophrenia and assigned an initial 70 percent rating, effective August 14, 2011. The Veteran's other claims were denied.

The Veteran's service records do not show hypertension or hypertensive cardiovascular disease during his active duty. The earliest documented diagnoses are from over 50 years post-service, and there is no evidence of these conditions manifesting within one year of discharge.

The Veteran's hypertension, hearing loss disability, and ruptured left eardrum are all found to be service-connected. The effective date is not specified.